Lovibond angle – Medicine MCQ

Lovibond angle is:
A. Angle between the iris and cornea
B. Angle between the long axis of the forearm and the long axis of upper arm
C. Angle between nail bed and proximal nail fold
D. Angle between manubrium sternum and body of sternum

Correct answer: C. Angle between nail bed and proximal nail fold

Lovibond angle

Explanation:
Lovibond angle or hyponychial angle is normally around 160 degrees. It is more than 180 degrees in digital clubbing. Lovibond described it as a ‘profile sign’ [1].

It is interesting to note that clubbing was first described by Hippocrates in 400 BC in a patient with empyema [2].

References:
1. Lovibond J. Diagnosis of clubbed fingers. Lancet. 1938;1:363–364.
2. Rutherford JD. Digital clubbing. Circulation. 2013;127:1997-1999.

Image credits: Laogooli. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Clubbing.svg